Ancient Secrets of the Khmer Ruins

In the early planning phases of this trip, I had difficulty choosing between Cambodia and Thailand. (Imagine such a life: having to choose if you are vacationing in Cambodia or Thailand this year, and thus saving the other for subsequent holiday!) My primary purpose of visiting Cambodia was to see the famed Angkor Wat, but of course, my reason for visiting Thailand was visiting the famed Pote. Fortunately, some of the most impressive Khmer ruins in Thailand were not too far from Khon Kaen and thus could be an easy stopover on my way back to Bangkok.

I hitched a ride on a nice bus from Kohn Kaen to a town called Buriram. Again, this place was just as exciting as Khon Kaen, if not, then less so. I didn't waste more than an hour in this city waiting for my bus, and then I was off to a small little town called Nang Rong. Nang Rong is a perfect little location used as a jumping off point to check out the local ruins. At least that is what Lonely Planet made it out to be. Yet for some reason, they provided detailed maps and several options for accommodation for the booming town of boring (Buriram) and offered only direction about Nang Rong that could only be deciphered with a compass.

I arrived late in the evening and I decided on staying at the Honey Inn. Lonely planet indicated that I had to head North from the bus station until I reached the main road where I should then take a right. Soon, it told me, I would see the sign for Honey Inn. Well, "soon" came and went and before long I was totally lost. Fortunately, I stopped at a local restaurant and asked for directions. The owner, being extraordinarily friendly, gave me a ride on his motorcycle- without helmets going the wrong way against traffic. This was the second most horrifying bike ride in Thailand, but more on that later. After winding down a labyrinth of back alley streets, we arrived at Honey Inn no thanks to Lonely Planet.

The beds were comfortable and the rooms were clean and of good value. And the best part was, we were able to hire a taxi from the inn to explore the local ruins. The next morning, two Swiss ladies, a Polish couple, a gal from Germany, a guy from New Zealand and I piled into the bed of a pick up truck that was an hour late and were shuffled off to Phnom Rung.


Built on the summit of an extinct volcano, Phnom Rung is a Hindu shrine dedicated to Shiva that was built between the tenth and thirteenth centuries. As an outlying post to Angkor Wat's grandiosity, it is clearly diminished in size. But, because I had yet to be spoiled by the outstanding Angkor, this marvelous temple was simply breathtaking.

The shrine itself is preceded by an impressive 160 meter long promenade, lotus pillars, cruciform platforms, and Naga bridges symbolizing the connection between Heaven and Earth. A Naga is a seven-headed snake that is supposed to symbolize the seven races of the Naga society. But whatever you believe, the statues and bridges were only a precursor to the ancient temple that was waiting for me at the top of a five-tiered stairway.



The temple was rather packed that day, with an annoyingly large amount of soldiers touring the grounds. I had to wait ten or fifteen minutes at a time to get a shot of the complex without any people in the shot. But the wait was worth it. Enjoy the pictoral and video tour of these impressive grounds.

The entrance way to Phnom Rung.

Once inside, you are presented with the main Shrine, housing sacred dieties.

The most sacred of all symbols was this: Linga. A phallic image used by Shiva.

And for every ying, there is a yang.

It wasn't long before the all the crowds had cleared out and I was given 15 minutes alone with the temple. This gave me some great chances to get some shots without all the other tourists. In addition to my worthy photographs posted above, don't forget to view this short film for an in-depth tour of the ruins.

After about two hours, and a short lunch, we all piled back into the pickup truck and made our way to this small temple of little note. It served as a nursing home for the sick and elderly during the Khmer Ruins. All the same, the remaining foundation indicates an impressive structure once stood among a present-day village.


The equally impressive and well-restored Muang Tam Temple was our next stop on the archaeological (sightseeing) tour. I don't have much information on it except that it was considered the "lower" temple while Phnom Rung, seated atop a volcano, was clearly known as the "upper" volcano.

At the end of the day, we had finally returned from our travel back in time to a land rich in culture and heritage from over 800 years ago. This historical glimpse was a mouth watering morsel of a land hidden away in the forests of Thailand. And while the trip getting there was quite challenging, the rewards were well worth every inconvenience.

From your naga-naga-naga-newhead- Nolan (inside joke), Michael.